Envelope



W. KRALL July 19, 1949.-

ENVELOPE Filed April 26, 1947 Patented July 19, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE 7 EN ELOPE Walter Krall, Holyoke, Mass'lgassignor to United States Envelope Company, Springfield, Mass.,' a corporation ofMaine I Application April 26, 1947, Serial Nb. 744,119

1 Claim. (01. 229-80) I This invention relates to envelopes of a type especially adapted to the packaging of various articles, such as surgical or medical bandages and the like, that need to be protected'from contamination, and to be handled'in a sterile manner.

An object of the invention is to provide such an envelope, in cheap and easily manufactured form, that not only protects its contents from contamination, but is easily and quickly pulled open for the removal of such contents, With assurance that the act of so opening the envelope will completely eliminate, in every case, all manner of obstruction, by portions of the envelope material or otherwise, to the ready seizure and withdrawal of'said contents, by means of forceps, tweezers, or other sterilized instruments.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will be made apparent by the following detailed description thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan viewof the blank from which the envelope of my invention is made.

Fig. 2 is a view showing .the initial folding operation performed'on said blank in the manufacture of my improved envelope.

Fig. 3 is a rear face view of the completed envelope, made from the blank of Fig. 1, and showing the envelope open in readiness to receive the bandage or other article. 7

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of said envelope, as closed and sealed after receiving its contents.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view,-illustrating the act of withdrawing said contents, after said envelope has been pulled open.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures. I

The envelope blank shown by Fig. 1 comprises a rectangular body portion I, which provides the envelopes front wall. Said body portion 1 has a wide side flap 2 and an opposite narrow side flap 3, the said two side flaps being folded over consecutively, in the manufacture of my envelope, on the lines 2 and 3' respectively, so as to overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 2, for the formation of the envelopes back wall 4. Prior to such folding the blank is supplied with the several wet adhesive areas indicated by Fig. 1, including an adhesive coating 5 on the narrow side flap 3, so that the folding over of flap 3 upon folded flap 2 produces (see Fig. 2) an adhesive seam 6 along one side edge of the rear wall 4.

The body portion I of the blank provides a bottom flap I of more than usual depth; this flap 1, preferably by the same operation which applies the adhesive 5, receives at a point well inward from its free or outer edge 8, a. limited area or spot of moist adhesive 9, for a purpose to be hereinafter. described. The line of fold of bottom flap 1 is indicated at H] as being slightly above the lower edges of the side flaps 2 and 3, so that, following formation of the side seam 6 by the initial folding operation (Fig. 2), the turning up and over of bottom flap 1 on the line In produces a double thickness of safety fold of the blank material across the envelopes bottom, this fold being provided in part by the body portion l and in part by the lower portions of side flaps 2 and 3. Such a double or safety fold at the bottom is conventional practice in envelopesof this type, to make their corners substantially leakproof, for the exclusion of dust and other impurities in the atmosphere. The same type of double or safety fold is preferably employed for my envelopes top closure, the latter being provided by aseal flap H, having an adhesive coating l2 adapted to be moistened in the usual way for use in sticking down said flap. The latter is foldable on a score line I? that is spaced slightly below the upper edges of the side flaps 2 and 3.

The sticking down ofthe relatively deep bot tom flap '1 against the envelopes rear wall 4 is here shown as obtained in the manner and by the means described in Irrgang Patent No. 1,972,995, dated September 11, 1934. That is to say, I preferably employ an interposed narrow transverse strip [4 of blotting paper or like loosefibered'material, having one face glued to the flap I, outwardly of the latters adhesive area 9 but appreciably inward of its free or outer edge 8, which said edge is left ungummed, so as to serveas a 'pull tab for quick and easy opening of the envelope. The other face of strip 14 cariies wet glue l5 bywhich to adhere the flap 1, when folded on line I0, Fig. 2, to the rear wall 4, as shown in Fig. 3. Because the internal strength of strip I4 is relatively low, said strip will invariably split apart, in a plane substantially to its faces, under a pull applied to the flaps free edge 8, leaving part of its structure on the flap 1 and the other part on the rear wall 4. Such action insures a. quick and easy opening up of the envelopes bottom seam, which always takes place cleanly and without the inevitable shredding and uneven tearing of the envelope material that is bound to occur when an ordinary glued seam is forcibly pulled open.

The wet adhesive spot 9 is preferably ofiset from the center line of flap I, by an amount suffieient to aline it with the center of the singlethickness portion of rear wall 4, that is, the portion lying inwardly of side seam 8. Near the bottom of side flap 2 (whose material provides such single-thickness portion) I form a series of slits I6, 16 having a substantially arched or arouate arrangement, as shown by Fig. 1. That is, said slits extend upwardly and laterally'from. apoint H onfold line It! near its. intersection with fold line 2', and then curve downwardly and laterally to meet the fold line In again at a point- |8 which is far enough in from the free edge of side flap 2 to escape being overlapped by the" narow side flap 3 (see Fig. 2); The height oilthe upwardly-tapering area I.&- bounded bl; these slits l6, l6 and by that portion of score line III which they subtend is slightly. in excess of the, outside distance of spot 9 from line Id; thus, when flap l is folded up and over on lime" lit to form, by means of glued" strip I4, the envelopes bottom closure seem as: above described, the glue 9 when dried causes theflap-Ttohave spotj adhesion with the peak or apex portion of the. partially-severed area. t5, iust inside the uppermost slits 16, Hi, as shownin Fig. 3.

Assuming a bandage. ill on like surgical or medical. article to have beenplaced' in my envelope, and the latter closedand sealed'i by folding, over and sticking down. oiits seai flap. I I, it is evident that adequate protection against contamination of. said article is assured,.beeause of the aforesaid saietyfolds at top and. bottom. and because of the. complete. coverageoi the-slits l6; it by the firmly stuckdownbottom flan 1.. However, this protection involves-no obstacle to quick, easy andcomplete access to said artiele,,.when its; removal and. its handling. in. a safe and sterile manner is desired. It is only neeessary to seize the free edge 8sandi to give it a light pull; under such pull, the loosely boundiibres of strip it give way throughout the entire length ot'the strip and thus the. freeing and lifting of the envelopes bottom flap 1 takes place without-anyoitheusual irregular tearingand shredding oi flap and wall; material, that would obstruct andhinder the removal of an envelopescontents. But more is required than this clean breale afiorded by the loose-fibred strip. lkespecially when ail-article, of any bulleis to be: removed aniespeeially when the envelope, as here shownahasat its, bottom. a.

safetyfold, that provides. material. (the lower edge portions at flaps 2 and!) which substamtialiy stiffens the bottom edge or fold oithle envelope,, and theretore imposesa resistance alt-that point. against, separation. or spreading. apart- ,ot

the. opposite front and rear wallssoi thestructure; f

because of there wouldnormally be a definite obstacle to insertion between. the lower edges at said walls of iorcepatweezers-or similar instmments by which-to seize and remove-in. a. sterile ment by strip M has given way) causes the entire area i9 above fold H) to be stripped loose and d'rawn away from the rear wall 4, as shown by Fig.

5; the reason for this being that the envelope 1 material, as-weakened by the slits l6, 16, offers appreciably less resistance to the lifting or pulling of flap 1 than does the glue 9. Starting at the'slits' f6, it? immediately above the glue 9, the tearing progressively spreads on both sides along the divergent lines that said slits take, so that, with the complete liftingof flap 1, an opening up at. the envelopes pocket for nearly its entire width is obtained; which exposes for sterile removing, and handling. (see Fig. 5) a; large area oithe contained'bandage 20;

I' claim:

As a new article at manufacture, an, envelope made from a one-piece blank, said blank being gluedand'fol'declto iorm opposite front and rear walls. having a pocket spaoe'between them; the lower end of said. pocketspace being closed by a transverse double-thickness folder the material oflbothof'said'walls; said blank including beyond saidiold aninte'gral extension or. the. front wall material which overlaps and covers a substantial portion of said rear wall, said Jcovered re'ait'w'all portion including a; partially=severedarea formed by two upwardly convergent lines of slits'that start from widely'spaced points'on' said transverse fold; said" area; being; adhesivelfy connected adjacent the convergence Of'said" lines of slits with said extension, and a layer of loose-fibred Resonances mm The fiollowingl, reterenlces are of record; in the file of, this patent;

Numb er Name Date l,9'l2,995 Irrgang Sept. I1; 1334" 2,001,340 Bear et al'. cliday 14,1935 2,218,610 Bennett. (I017. 22; 1940 

